25th anniversary of the minivan
Lee Iaccoca introduces the 1984 Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler's first minivan.

If one measure of the success of an idea is its survival, then the minivans produced by Chrysler LLC are an unqualified success. The 2009 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan come 25 years after their compact, user-friendly, front-wheel-drive ancestors established an entirely new vehicle segment in America.

In the intervening quarter-century, the Chrysler minis have been improved, honored--and imitated. Rarely, however, have they been topped for innovation or popularity, and they stand as one of the greatest successes in the 84-year-old corporation's history. To mark its minivans' silver jubilee, Chrysler is issuing 25th Anniversary Edition packages for the Town & Country and Grand Caravan.

Several factors came together before the first of the more than 12 million-and-counting Chrysler minivans left the assembly line on November 2, 1983, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In 1977, designers, engineers, and product planners began working on a small van concept with front-wheel drive that would allow for a flat load floor and almost car-like passenger entry and exit, the so-called "magic wagon." Then, in November 1978, former Ford Motor Company President Lee Iacocca came to Chrysler Corporation to be its president (and, soon, chairman). While at Ford, he had supported a similar "garageable van" concept that was shelved in the mid 1970s, so he was open to building such a vehicle. However, Chrysler's precarious financial situation held the project at bay.

Finally, with the company's finances improving in 1980, $660 million was invested into making the magic wagon a reality. Project T-115 utilized a variant of the front-drive chassis developed for the corporation's K-car compacts that bowed for 1981. At 112 inches, the minivan's wheelbase was almost a foot longer than that of a Dodge Aries or Plymouth Reliant, but at 175.9 inches overall, the van was actually two-tenths of an inch shorter. There were seats for as many as seven passengers, but with second- and third-row seats removed the T-115 had room for 125 cubic feet of cargo. Powertrains were picked up from the K cars: a standard 101-horsepower 2.2-liter 4-cylinder with 5-speed manual overdrive transaxle or optional 3-speed automatic and a 99-horsepower (but torquier) 2.6-liter 4 with automatic.

Introduced for the 1984 model year as the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan (plus a Dodge Mini Ram cargo model), combined sales hit 210,000 for their first full year on the market. The Chrysler minivan was off and running. Scores of improvements--and four subsequent generations--have followed since then. Visit page two for a sampling, indicated by model years.

25th anniversary of the minivan
Chrysler's redesigned-for-2008 minivans mark the fifth generation of its popular people mover. The preceding four generations are pictured here.

The success of the magic wagons spawned a host of market rivals, both domestic and foreign. In recent years, the minivan segment has cooled somewhat and several manufacturers have abandoned it. Competition is currently confined to the Honda Odyssey, Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona, Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna, and Volkswagen Routan--and the Routan is a "VW-ized" version of the Chrysler vans. But with calendar-year sales of 242,312 vehicles in 2008, Chrysler's vans held 40.9 percent of the U.S. market, a gain of 1.3 percent of market share from the year before. As Michael Berube, senior manager for Chrysler-brand marketing, told Consumer Guide at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, "It is a vibrant segment, one we are bullish on."

The Chrysler minivans' influence doesn't stop at America's shore. They are sold in more than 80 countries; you can buy one in Buenos Aires, Bratislava, or Beijing. Exports began as early as 1987, and European production commenced in Austria in 1992. Along the way have come modifications designed to make the vans more attractive in overseas markets, such as turbodiesel engines and right-hand drive.

The original target buyers for minivans were "baby boomers" whose families were growing in number as conventional sedans and station wagons were shrinking in size. According to Berube, customers are now roughly split 50/50 between families and older "empty-nesters" who enjoy the vans' driving ease and utility. "No vehicle carries as much stuff and people with the fuel economy," he said of the Chrysler vehicles, which--depending on the powerteam--are EPA rated from 16 mpg in city driving to 25 mpg on the highway.

To mark the vans' 25-year run, specially equipped versions of the Chrysler Town & Country Touring and Dodge Grand Caravan SXT are set to go on sale in March. Both will feature Dark Slate Gray or Light Shale perforated-leather seats with French-seam stitching, heated first- and second-row seats, 17-inch alloy wheels with Mineral Gray-painted pockets, and "25th Anniversary Edition" exterior badges. In addition, the Town & Country will come with Dark Slate Gray or Medium Slate Gray interior panels, dark maple burl woodgrain trim on the instrument panel and doors, a uconnect 30-gigabyte entertainment system, a DVD video entertainment system, and chrome beltline and bodyside moldings. Available color choices are Mineral Gray, Bright Silver Metallic, or Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl. The Grand Caravan anniversary model is further distinguished by Dark Slate Gray or Medium Shale interiors, black walnut woodgrain accents, interior LED lighting with an ambient halo ring, a sport-tuned suspension, and chrome belt moldings. Inferno Red Crystal Pearl paint substitutes for the Chrysler's Mineral Gray; other choices are the same.

25th anniversary of the minivan
Chrysler celebrates the 25th anniversary of its minivans with special option packages on model-year 2009 vans.

03.03.2009